One of the biggest learning curves while working overseas is learning the culture of your host country. Culture affects everything from grocery shopping to securing a lease on a property. It has taken years (and is still taking time) to figure out the unspoken nuances in the dance of living cross-culturally. When I landed on the continent, I was lost, confused, and practically blind to what was happening around me.
In the USA, even back in 1987 when we first left for Africa, everything happened quickly. There was fast food, microwave popcorn, and even instant soup. Cleaning the house was also convenient with dishwashers, washers, dryers, and vacuum cleaners of all kinds to choose from. Finding fun things to do was easy. We had parks, movie theaters, bowling alleys, tennis courts, and many restaurants.
Landing in Kalemie, Zaire, for the first time was an assault on my Western thinking. Two years before our move to Zaire, we visited Kenya, where we took part in a leadership seminar. It was exhausting but exhilarating at the same time. New and exciting things surrounded me, and my heart ached to return.
I didn’t understand then what I know now. Visiting a place and living in a place are two wholly different experiences.
Visiting and living cross-culturally are two different things altogether.
We returned to Africa to serve in Zaire for the long term. However, Zaire was very different from my initial experience on the continent. In Kenya, we found many people who spoke English, which made it relatively easy to get around. Even when we needed to work with an interpreter, finding someone who could help us communicate was not difficult. This was not the case in Zaire. We quickly realized we needed to learn a local language to accomplish anything there. The country has four major tribal languages, and French is the official government language. Additionally, more than 200 tribal languages are spoken throughout the nation.
So off to language school we went. For nearly four months, we studied Swahili at CPK Language School in Nairobi, Kenya. Our 18-month-old son was with us, making it difficult for me to concentrate fully on lessons. Together with the children of other students, he was cared for by a team of lovely ladies. They played in the garden while we had classes. On more than one occasion, the teacher called me out for not paying attention.
Thus began my journey of learning how to live cross-culturally. To some extent, with each move we have made, I’ve had to learn new things and unlearn the old.
To be brutally honest…
As I write this, I’m sitting in our lounge in Pretoria, South Africa. We’ve moved many times—I’ve lost count—and we are currently establishing a new church. This church plant is quite different from our previous ones. The culture in South Africa is very different from that of other regions in Africa where we have served. While some similarities exist, such as certain languages spoken here resembling those we’ve learned in different parts of the continent, many aspects are entirely new.
To be brutally honest, it hasn’t been easy. Effectively working and living cross-culturally requires stepping out of one’s culture and embracing the host country’s culture. Everything from language to food choices changes, and the change rubs cross-grain into one’s emotional makeup.
Pilgrims living cross-culturally
The Bible tells us that we are all pilgrims on the earth (see 1 Peter 2:11 and Hebrews 11:13), including those of us living in our home cultures. None of us who are children of God belong here. We are just passing through and living cross-culturally in a land that is not our home. This helps us better understand our assignment. We have all been tasked with bringing the lost home to the Father. None of us will keep this mortal suit of clay on forever. We’re on a journey to expand the family all over the world.
So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations...
Matthew 28:19 GW
Planting a church cross-culturally
As difficult as living cross-culturally can be, I take great comfort in knowing that Jesus experienced the same discomfort on a much greater scale! He left the comforts of heaven to be made in our form, qualifying Him to be our Perfect Savior.
So, with these things in mind, how do we plant a church cross-culturally? One step at a time. As this is a new environment for us, I’m not taking anything for granted. Do I know it all? Not at all. I know I’m surrounded by a team that went before me (see Hebrews chapters 11 and 12) who are cheering. Jesus Himself is acquainted with all we go through and is always praying for me (see Hebrews 7:23-25). This is beyond cool.
How to land this plane
How do I land this plane? I could (and will in another post) type for hours about church planting, but I still feel like a novice! I can’t predict what our church will look like this time next year, but I can say that it won’t look like anything I expect. God will certainly take us by surprise.
To learn more about cross-cultural church planting, click the link below for a short introduction. It is just that, an introduction, but it is a start!
